Quentin Crisp

Jonathan Nossiter's "Resident Alien: Quentin Crisp in America" (at the Sunset 5) offers a perceptive, thoroughly engaging and multilayered portrait of an acerbic and courageous man who once described himself as "England's stateliest homo."

An autobiography is an obituary in serial form with the last chapter missing. --Quentin Crisp Quentin Crisp, the more flamboyant if slightly less eloquent modern-day Oscar Wilde, was better known for his autobiography, "The Naked Civil Servant," than anything else he ever wrote or uttered from any stage, television set or center of a cocktail party. The missing last chapter was written Sunday when Crisp died in London's Manchester Royal Infirmary at the age of 90.

An autobiography is an obituary in serial form with the last chapter missing. --Quentin Crisp Quentin Crisp, the more flamboyant if slightly less eloquent modern-day Oscar Wilde, was better known for his autobiography, "The Naked Civil Servant," than anything else he ever wrote or uttered from any stage, television set or center of a cocktail party. The missing last chapter was written Sunday when Crisp died in London's Manchester Royal Infirmary at the age of 90.

Quentin Crisp may have described himself as "England's stateliest homo," but over brunch in a West Hollywood hotel suite he proves mischievous as well as witty and wise. "I try never to let the mention of money to besmirch my coral lips," he quipped, describing his first meeting with director Sally Potter, who cast him as Queen Elizabeth I in her surrealist film of Virginia Woolf's "Orlando."

In his review of "Queer in America" by Michelangelo Signorile (June 27), Quentin Crisp reveals an ignorance of the author's ideas within the lesbian and gay civil rights movements in general. Some familiarity with the history of the African-American civil rights movement or the women's movement would have shown Crisp that cultural changes don't occur because people sit down to tea and politely decide to change things. Angry members of oppressed groups march, write, put their jobs and lives on the line and risk alienating people.

Robert Giard, 62, a portraitist who traveled the country to photograph gay and lesbian literary figures, died July 16 of an apparent heart attack while on a bus trip from Minneapolis to Chicago. Giard took nearly 600 black and white photographs of gay writers. He posed his subjects--who included Allen Ginsberg, Quentin Crisp and Andrea Dworkin--in simple settings surrounded by things they loved.

Quentin Crisp, the writer and raconteur, came to Highways in Santa Monica on Monday night and sat on a humble chair telling stories like a prince on a throne. His principality is a dignified but idiosyncratic domain, full of observations that are droll and wise as well as unpopular, outre and stubborn--at 89, he's not about to start toeing a party line, particularly since he's had no practice at it. "An Evening With Quentin Crisp" will have one more performance, tonight at 8:30.

Quentin Crisp may have described himself as "England's stateliest homo," but over brunch in a West Hollywood hotel suite he proves mischievous as well as witty and wise. "I try never to let the mention of money to besmirch my coral lips," he quipped, describing his first meeting with director Sally Potter, who cast him as Queen Elizabeth I in her surrealist film of Virginia Woolf's "Orlando."

In his review of "Queer in America" by Michelangelo Signorile (June 27), Quentin Crisp reveals an ignorance of the author's ideas within the lesbian and gay civil rights movements in general. Some familiarity with the history of the African-American civil rights movement or the women's movement would have shown Crisp that cultural changes don't occur because people sit down to tea and politely decide to change things. Angry members of oppressed groups march, write, put their jobs and lives on the line and risk alienating people.

Jonathan Nossiter's "Resident Alien: Quentin Crisp in America" (at the Sunset 5) offers a perceptive, thoroughly engaging and multilayered portrait of an acerbic and courageous man who once described himself as "England's stateliest homo."

While far smaller than its network cousins, cable TV's Lifetime channel, which says it offers "provocative information and entertainment programming of special interest to today's woman," will report on Wednesday's royal wedding in a big way. With a commentary troupe that includes Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the sex-advice sage, Lifetime plans 13 1/2 hours of live and taped programming, starting with live coverage of the wedding and accompanying festivities from 1:30 to 5:30 a.m. PDT Wednesday.

The Movie: "Orlando" * The Setup: Adaptation of Virginia Woolf's story of Orlando (Tilda Swinton, pictured), who arrives at the Elizabethan court as a young man and, over the course of a 400-year-long journey, becomes woman Orlando, never aging a day. * The Costume Designer: Sandy Powell, whose credits include "The Crying Game," "Caravaggio," "Edward II" and the forthcoming "Wittgenstein." * The Look: Sumptuous costumes so gloriously over the top that they amaze and frequently amuse.